The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-07-06
IN HAVANA.
A TRAVELLER SEES STRANGE
AND INTERESTING SIGHTS.
A Bull Fight Which Disgusted Aim
The Antipathy of the Cubans
and Spaniards - The AS
saSsin's Poinard.

A correspondent of the Indianapoli:
! Journal SAYS in a letter from Havana: Or
landing you are greeted by the Custom
house officials, who wish to see your pass
| ports, to examine your luggage, etc. The
ladies of the party objected to having
their trunks opened and the contents ex'
| posed to the vulgar gaze of these pompous
! individuals. 1t was the custom, however,
and no amount of persuasion would cause
! them to desist. After the law had been
satisfied the party took carriages for the
; hotel. Icame to see, and I concluded by
; walking l could see better. At every
turn I was beset by mendicants; to the
! first few gave the small change had; ii
was not long before I had small army al
my heels. To escape them called a cab
and was soon at the hotel. This being q
fete week, there were all kinds of amuse-
ments. The next day there was bull
fight; Iconcluded would go. In com
: pany with several Spanish students
started early, so as to get good view OF
this brutal sport, and found had started
none too soon, as the amphitheater was
fast filling up. The bands, of which
! there were several, played the national
airs. At a given signal the bullfghters
marched in six in all. The horses were
the next to come, led by assistants. The
leader of the bullfighters was small,
pale man, in perfect form, with rather a
feminine cast of feature.
He was the prime favorite of the ladies,
and as he marched around the forum the
ladies threw their lace handkcrchiefs,
pocket-books and their gayly colored
scarfs to him, which he accepted with a
low bow and by making the Spanish
signs as seen so often in New Orleans
when giving aims to the poor. This man
is professional fighter from Madrid. He
is known as Signor Mastai Ferretti, and
comes with royal favor. After the first
bull was killed came away disgusted
with the brutal sport, and must say, to
the credit of the few Americans present,
they, with one accord, followed.
Havana has some elegant buildings in
it-notably the government buildings and
hotels, built of stone. The plaza or public
square is at most very commonplace af-
fair, and not at all as inviting as any of
our parks in indianapolis. The popula-
tion is about 32O, 600, of which 25. 600 is
floating. 1t is made up of every known
race under the sun, but mainly Chinese
and Hindoo coolies, negroes, creoles and
Spaniards by birth.
The Cuban Spaniards are the moneyed
men. They control everything. The
Cuban's cry is Cuba for US; down with
the Spaniardsl Those born in Spain are
sent to this island to keep the Cubans
poorer and the Madrid government
richer. There is scarcely a night passes
bat some Spaniard is sent to his long
home by the assassins poniard. This is
small knife, the blade about six inches
long, and has both edges as keen as
razor. Everybody carries them, even the
ladies. AS rule, the men carry them in
the back of the neck, the ladies in their
dress, where they can be seen with the
butt peeping out. The natural hatred
that exists between the creoles and the
Spaniards will again lead to war. This
time the creole will be aided by the negro
slaves. All that is wanting now is
Walker or Lopez. Havana is the gate
way for the products of the island, Amer
lea being the largest consumer. The
amount of tobacco and sugar raised on
this island is simply enormous, and the
revenue must be very large. 1t finds its
way to Madrid. The slaves or pure
negroes do the hard ficldwork, and do it
well, although they have cruel and brutal
taskmasters. In some districts the slaves
are treated more humanely.
The Island of Cuba is some $50 miles
long and about fifty in width, and is
mountainous at the south end, where the
Sierra Maestro rises to an elevation of
5000 feet. The western or Havana dis
tricts are the best and wealthicst parts
of the Island. 1t is here the finest and
best sugar and tobacco are raised, which
find ready market in New Orleans and
New York. Nearly eighty-fye per cent.
of the sugar raised here goes to America;
the balance to England. Cuba imports
hardware, salt, fish, furniture, flour,
manufactured goods and machinery, etc.
I saw in sugar refinery Corliss engine
made in indianapolis, and when l saw it
I felt homesick. 1t was only momentary,
though. The ladies of Havana are very
beautiful. Their olive complexion is set
off to good advantage by the use of their
mantilas folded across the shoulder in
way that makes them bewitching. If
it were not for their ungovernable tenn
pers they would be still handsomer. The
weather here is very warm. At night
there is cool breeze that comes from the
bay, and with it comes the old fashioned
Mississippi "gallinipper." Three or
four of them sucking you at once is not
the best feeling in the world, and to
know there are several cases of yellow
jack in the city makes one feel as if he
was near the jumping-off place. My ad-
vice to snowdiggers is to keep away from
Cuba, except from November to March.
After that time it is not pleasant, unless
you can accustom yourself to the intense
heat and the earthquakes This is the
home of earthquakes, and. every we'll
rerulated familY has one and some to